In an environment of surreal creatures, tremendous beasts, castles in the sky and the shimmering dance of magic, the presence of something as mundane as humanity must give us pause. We know ourselves well in the real world but how well do we know our strange cousins, the humans of heroic fantasy? What traits of ours do they share? Would they recognise us, or we them? How exactly did they come to exist alongside elves, dwarves and the other races, with whom they are oddly similar on the surface yet fundamentally different in essence? What can they teach us about a fundamental question common to both the real world and that of imagination, namely that of what it truly means to be human?

In this volume, we will be looking at the rich diversity of human life in the fantasy world, drawing upon examples found both in the history of the real world and in our folklore and legends. Humans are not bland templates but a people of extraordinary resource, inventiveness and adaptability. Mortality is their curse and yet a peculiar blessing, as the finiteness of their lives frees them of the ennui and a lack of motivational energy to which longer-lived races are prone. As a result, humans can truly appreciate the value of a sensory pleasure, the love of a mate or the thrill of adventure. Everything is the sweeter for them, because they know they might never live to see another morning.

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Contents

Introduction

[[Summary::THumans, one of the most popular of character races, has long been neglected, rarely receiving a distinctive treatment of their own. This 128-page d20 sourcebook brings them back to the fore with a slew of character concepts and prestige classes, together with tricks of the trade that concentrate on Humans' versatility and individuality.]]

Character Concepts

Concepts are a way to add more flavor to a human character. Each one represents a background for a human who might otherwise have seemed like little more than a set of statistics. Taking on a character concept allows certain advantages and disadvantages, but these are not the main point of the exercise. They are there to enrich roleplaying and to give players fresh ideas.

Any one Character Concept may be applied to a character as it is being created. The listed bonuses and penalties are applied and the character’s story adjusted to take account of the concept. The player and Games Master should make sure that the character is played in keeping with his concept; it has as much to do with the character’s values and ultimate goals as it does with his current situation in life.

The Prestige Human

Tricks of the Trade

Human Feats

The feats developed by humans are primarily about survival. They allow them to use their weapons to prevent damage to themselves or others or even to use agricultural tools as weapons. Other feats relate to the humans’ role as communicators, learners and facilitators, while a few involve the raw power of the human soul, a force that burns all the brighter for the short lifespan of the body it inhabits.

Tools of the Humans

Human inventiveness is what has enabled the members of the race to expand into inhospitable regions and establish colonies many leagues away from home. Humans have little in the way of biological advantage to help them get by, so instead they must use their brains and their hands. This section deals with the products of human invention, some of which are adopted by other races but all of which have the unmistakable stamp of human ingenuity upon them. We look at the tools that are used to survive, as well as the devices that humans have created simply to amuse themselves.

The Limits of Mortality

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